The 31-year-old U.S. Army sergeant returned from his tour in Afghanistan five years ago after a roadside blast rocked the armored vehicle that he was riding in with four others, including his childhood friend, Jesse Reed.

After spending months in a coma and enduring more than 130 surgeries, Keys passed another milestone Wednesday: entering his new "smart" home in Crownsville, just outside Annapolis, Md.

For the first time since he was injured, Keys won't be living at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He'll be on his own in a house where everything down to the window blinds and cabinet shelves are automated and controlled by computers.

Whitehall soldier Adam Keys took possession of a brand new ‘smart home’ in Annapolis, Maryland following a home dedication ceremony.

(PAUL W. GILLESPIE / CAPITAL GAZETTE)

He'll be able to cook on a stove top that lowers to a height where he can stir pasta while seated, and he won't have to worry about balancing on his prosthetic legs on icy days: The concrete outside is heated.

An oversized shower allows him plenty of space to roll in using his wheelchair. Buttons and remotes throughout the home aid in opening doors and dozens of other tasks for which he's had to rely on family members.

"This is gorgeous," Keys said as he entered the custom-built house. "Goodness, goodness, goodness."

Learning how to operate all the gadgets will come in time. The first task Wednesday was greeting the more than 100 friends and other supporters who came to wish him well on the next steps in recovering and regaining his independence.

The house was built with help from several veterans assistance organizations and corporate donors, including the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The organization, named for a New York City firefighter who died Sept. 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center, honors soldiers and first responders killed or seriously injured in their duties.

Actor Gary Sinise, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Lt. Dan Taylor in the movie "Forrest Gump" and who since 2003 has fronted a musical group that raises money for veterans causes, headlined a 2012 benefit show in Easton that helped raise money for the house.

Keys arrived at his new home Wednesday morning in a minivan, drawing cheers from the crowd as he walked toward a stage set up in front of the residence. A massive American flag hung behind the stage, blocking his view of the house he had not yet seen completed.

In the front row was a surprise attendee: Dolores Reed, Jesse's mother. The two young men grew close after Keys and his family moved to Whitehall from his native Canada. Eventually, the two enlisted in near tandem, training together and then deploying together.

"I'm so happy for Adam," Dolores Reed said before the ceremony. "I mean, it's been five years that he's been in that hospital and his attitude is superb. It's what got him through."

Keys hugged Dolores Reed, grinning, before taking his spot on the stage. He rested in a wheelchair, but after the flag had been pulled aside to showcase the house, he rose to speak, balancing on his prosthetic legs with the help of a cane.

"I wish there were some words in the English language that could really truly say to you guys the emotion that I have inside of me for all the things that you've done for me," Keys said, choking up slightly.

He ran through many of the organizations that provided the building plans, materials, landscaping, and financing to put the house together. Keys also thanked the doctors, nurses and medics who worked "countless hours to get to me to where I am today so I could stand on my own two feet again — which is not easy."

At the top of the list of his supporters is his mother, Julie, who has been his primary caretaker through his recovery. She and her husband, Stephen, will move in with Keys as he gets settled, a prospect that had seemed nearly impossible not long ago.

"This has been such a long time in coming, and there were times through the last five years where I wasn't quite sure if I could see that finish line," Julie Keys said.

A parade of speakers praised Keys' determination and strength, describing his work toward recovery as an inspiration. Lehigh Valley congressman Charlie Dent gave Keys a flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol in his honor.

"It's hard to think of anyone more than Adam Keys who has sacrificed more for his country," said Dent, who helped expedite Keys' U.S. citizenship application after he was injured.

Keys got an additional surprise from another prominent figure in attendance. Keys, who is a New York Jets fan, got to chat with team owner Woody Johnson, who has donated $1 million to aid in building smart houses for veterans.

By the end of the conversation, Johnson had invited him to the Jets' opening game this season.

The game will be among many highlights Keys has planned after formally retiring from the Army at the end of the month. He's been building his endurance in the swimming pool and this fall, he'll be hand cycling at marathon courses in Chicago and Detroit.

And July 11 — three days before the anniversary of that bomb exploding in Afghanistan — he'll be back in the Lehigh Valley with Dolores Reed again to remember Jesse.

The family has organized an annual walk down Whitehall's Seventh Street, which was renamed Jesse Reed Way. A look of resolve spreads across Keys' face when asked if he'll be walking as well.